How Did Hurricane Melissa Intensify?

GOES Satellite image of Hurricane Melissa. Photo Courtesy of NOAA

Bill - The Wx Learner - October 28, 2025

Hurricane Melissa is now about 20 miles from Jamaica. According to the latest update from The National Hurricane Center, it has maximum sustained winds of 185mph and a pressure of 892mb making it the strongest storm this year and 3rd strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic.

Melissa strengthened with stunning speed, it was still a tropical storm on Saturday morning and exploded into a category 5 by Monday morning.

How did that happen?

Hurricanes are fueled by warm water and right now the Caribbean Sea is 2-3° F higher than average. This may not sound like a lot, but it is significant.  Not only are the surface waters warmer, the deep ocean layers are too.

When a hurricane churns the sea, it mixes the warm surface water with deeper water below. Normally that mixing pulls cool water up to the surface and limits intensification. But since the deep waters are also warm this year, there’s an unlimited supply of fuel for Melissa.

The atmosphere is also working in the storm’s favor. Low wind shear allows the storm to keep its structure and intensify rapidly. And the warm, humid air being drawn into the hurricane fuels  the thunderstorms that energize its core.

All those ingredients came together perfectly to create one of the strongest hurricanes in history.

This storm will be catastrophic. Winds this strong can cause total devastation, but the water is the greatest threat. With 40 inches of rain possible in some areas and a 9-13 foot storm surge projected, flash flooding and landslides are possible.

My heart just breaks for the people of Jamaica. There will be lives lost, homes destroyed, and the recovery will take years. Please don’t forget about them after the storm passes.